Not to alarm our upcoming visitors (oops too late) but we just had a visit from a representative from the local government-run clinic inspecting properties for signs of mosquito larvae because of an outbreak of dengue fever in Atenas.

Gulp.

He came into the gate and headed right for the old tire that “someone” just had to have!  Sure enough, he peeked into the stagnant water in the tire and pointed out mosquito larvae. He dumped the water and gave me a stern lecture  - most which I didn’t understand because it was in Spanish – but his withering look communicated enough.  He then took the tire and put in undercover so the water couldn’t accumulate in it again.

He toured the rest of the property and didn’t find any other signs of mosquitoes.

We haven’t noticed any… but apparently it’s just a matter of time.

He inquired if we had been sick or been bitten by mosquitoes. He told me there are many people in Atenas who have been sick with dengue and they are recommending the use of repellent, keeping gutters clean and making sure drainage areas don’t have standing water, and of course, don’t keep old tires!

It takes a special mosquito to cause dengue. Here’s the wiki: for Aedes aegypti. Kind of a cool looking species!

I told him that I use Cynoff and I spray regularly – mainly for scorpions, but he said it was “perfecto” for mosquitoes too.

It struck me as very odd that when I pointed out the empty lots next door with standing water, he shrugged it off.

Ignorance is bliss. I think I would have rather not known about Dengue Fever. It’s not deadly, it causes flu-like symptoms for a week or so. There is no vaccine or cure.

But now I have another dam chore: making sure all the water is moving off our property and keeping us safe from Dengue Fever.

Anybody need an old tire?

(BTW: Nancy saw a Pinterest pin that had something to do with old painted tires. That’s why we had it… Thanks Pinterest!)

Notes on Dengue Fever
by Atenas Today staff reporter

1. Dengue fever is a viral, flu-like disease transmitted from human to human by the
bite of a particular type of mosquito, called the Aedes aegypti.
2. The Aedes mosquito can be recognized by the black and white stripes on itslegs
and abdomen.
3. The Aedes lives and breeds in urban areas in water filled man made containers,
such as old flower pots. Old tires are especially bad.
4. The Aedes like slower altitudes; it is very rare above 4,000 feet.
5. The Aedes bites people only in the daytime; it is not active at night.
6. The average time between the bite of an infected Aedes and the onset of
symptoms is 4 to 6 days, with a range of 3 to 14 days.
7. An infected person cannot spread the infection to other people, but can be a
source of the virus for other mosquitoes for about 6 days.
8. Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, headache, pain behind the
eyes, and pain in the muscles and joints.
9. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever.
10. Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are common.
11. The presence of the dengue virus can be detected by a simple blood test.
12. The severe portion of the illness usually lasts a week to ten days, but complete
recovery can take a month.
13. The only treatment is rest, plenty of ffluids, and acetaminophen (avoid aspirin).
14. If there are no complications, there are no long term effects from the disease.
15. The most dangerous complication is a progression to dengue hemorrhagic fever.
People who have already had dengue fever and are infected again are more
susceptible to this complication.
16. Dengue hemorrhagic fever causesthe blood vesselsto start to leak, resulting in
bleeding from the nose, mouth, and gums. Bruising can be a sign of internal
bleeding.
17. Dengue hemorrhagic feveris potentially fatal andmust be treated promptly after
the first symptoms by replacing lost fluids, and sometimes having blood
transfusions.
18. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal is about 5 percent of cases, usually among
children and young adults.
19. There is no vaccine to protect against this virus. The only way to avoid the
possibility of contracting the illnessisto avoid being bitten by an infected Aedes
mosquito.20. Insect repellentshould contain at least 30% DEET to be effective. Strong
repellent like this should not be inhaled or put on the hands of children, where it
could find its way to their mouths.
21. Mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing,so apply repellent to clothing as well
as to exposed skin.
22. There are likely to be many more infected mosquitoesin the downtown Atenas
area than in the outlying areas. If you live in Atenas centro you should have
screens and eliminate all potential breeding sites around your property.

We don’t keep track of many stats around La Esquina de Perros (The Dog’s Corner) but we track two important  statistics:

• hitchhikers
• rain

In January February and March the Rain to Hitchhiker ratio is zilch. No rain! And I mean NONE.

55 hitchhikers total for the three months.

Since I had to take statistics three times in college in order to get a passing grade (it was a requirement for a degree in advertising) I don’t know how to state that ratio… is it 0:100 or 100:0? Or 0:55? Infinity and Beyond?Meh, you get my point. No rain, 55 hitchhikers.

The hitchhikers are our neighbors who don’t own cars. Nancy started the practice, much to my surprise. She originally had an ulterior motive for giving them rides. She said someday she may need some help on the road and it would be nice to know some faces and be recognized.  She had one restriction to begin with: women and children only.

But after a year of toting people back and forth, we will pick up almost anybody. Almost. We have to recognize them as a neighbor or they must be accompanied by someone we recognize or be dressed appropriately (see photo.)

We have met lots of our neighbors and gotten lots of goodwill from a pretty simple task. Some try to chat us up, or with each other, and others just sit quietly. We have had as many as six riders in addition to Nancy and I (kids piled in the back.) Most offer to pay. We have accepted only kisses as payment, and then only from Anna Victoria, a cute little tyke.

The Rain to Hitchhiker Ratio is changing.

April we had a few showers to start the rainy season. Didn’t amount too much, about two inches total rain over five different days.

We picked up 18 hitchhikers in April, so is that 2:18?  1:9?  At any rate the Rain to Hitchhiker ratio in Atenas is still very favorable.

But it looks like the rain will tip the scales soon, Pat read today this ominous warning:

According to the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional, they predict this rainy season will be shorter than normal, but much more intense, resulting in a 20% increase in the normal precipitation. They have issued an Emergency Announcement to the Municipalidads to be prepared for flooding and landslides.

Senseless Retirement

There is a lot of senseless retiring going around.

It is an immutable man-law that men can’t smell their own farts. So when we lose our sense of smell because we are older the biggest impact being senseless of smell usually means we also have lost another sense: taste.

Is memory a sense? On the ride into town this morning, I ran this post idea through my mind.

I could remember there are five senses, but like naming the seven dwarfs, I could not name them all. When I got home, Nancy added the one I couldn’t recall.

Touch. Which makes perfect sense because women say men lose their feelings first.

• taste
• smell
• sight
• hearing
• touch

I entered my senseless retirement with a loss of sense of hearing. Tinnitus. That happened when I was a kid hanging around loud engines with no mufflers.

My sense of sight started failing when I was in my 20s. I started wearing glasses and am now all the way up to tri-focals, except when I want to see up close and then it’s no-focals.

About 50 my sense of taste started to go.  Ahem, food-taste, not clothing-taste … that is still awesome.

As you know smell and taste are just almost so intertwined as to the be same sense. I used to take Flonase nasal inhaler for allergies. Aside from not blowing a hole in my septum, it had just about the same effect as using Coke. It all but destroyed my sense of smell.

I finally admitted to myself that my smeller was shot the other day when Nancy wanted me to smell the gardenia growing in our yard. Nada. Nope. Nuttin’.  Natural smells seem to escape me, but fake ones sometimes are discernible.

So I have resigned myself to a senseless retirement.

I think she still does.

I hate it when the ice in my smoothie makes a little ball on my strawl blocking the vacuum I am creating.

If you want the straws and connectors shown above, go here.